What is the Bible?

[DPMartin]

I've been thinking about this . . . and however we think about what sort of a document it is, just the same, it does show God's relationship with His people, and others, and it does show things that will be, and it does teach us theology, and soteriology, and eschatology, and so on.

It doesn't change the contents of the Book. Does it?

Much love!

correct, if you notice its an account of God said God did, even though the Hebrews were involved through most of it. even in creation God said God did and that was a day. in the case of the people He chose to have some sort of relationship they testified in the bible that the Lord their God said and the Lord their God did.

I would caution that theology is of men, and the Truth of God is of God. hence every one likes to sees what the bible says through there own rose colored glasses. therefore the many are deceived. whereas its about what the Lord God said and did with the men He chose to say and do with, and not one's own opinion of it.

 

[DPMartin]

No one has ever gone up to heaven but he who came down from it, the son of man
The kingdom of heaven is within you

correct therefore by God's chose not man's, via born of the Holy Spirit. without being born of the Holy Spirit, what you've posted "The kingdom of heaven is within you" does not apply.

 

[bbyrd009]

therefore the many are deceived. whereas its about what the Lord God said and did with the men He chose to say and do with, and not one's own opinion of it.

^

 

[marks]

I would caution that theology is of men, and the Truth of God is of God. hence every one likes to sees what the bible says through there own rose colored glasses. therefore the many are deceived. whereas its about what the Lord God said and did with the men He chose to say and do with, and not one's own opinion of it.

I'm not sure what you mean here . . . Yes, if you read Scripture intending to see only certain things, then you may miss some stuff. Even so, God has ways . . .

 

[Marymog]

@Marymog @amadeus
Don't get so hung up Mary over the use of the term hippies. ......

Thank you for the clarification. :)

What I am "hung up over" is your false statement, contradicting statement and the statement that lacked logic.

In your response to me you said "Peter dived into the sea naked to swim ashore to Jesus" WHICH IS a FALSE STATMENT.

You also said "The writers of scripture were a tax collector.....That takes care of the unemployed...". If he is a tax collector then he is employed soooo that statement is CONTRADICTING.

You then equated murderers and an adulterers to "dope smoking bums". That statement is LOGICALLY not true.

Sooooo just to be VERY clear.....I am NOT hung up over the use of the term hippies when describing the authors of Scripture. YOU ASKED (does that offend you?) sooooo I responded (Post #4).



Mary

 

[Enoch111]

Hmmmm.....soooo brakelite completely fabricated and added to scripture that Peter was naked and shabbily dressed.

Brakelite decided to postulate an imaginary scenario. The facts are quite different. And the most critical fact is that the writers of Scripture were required to write what the Holy Spirit determined. Not what they fancied. Hence the Bible is regarded as the Word of God.

 

[Marymog]

Brakelite decided to postulate an imaginary scenario. The facts are quite different. And the most critical fact is that the writers of Scripture were required to write what the Holy Spirit determined. Not what they fancied. Hence the Bible is regarded as the Word of God.

Thank you Enoch.

I get it.....it was an "imaginary scenario". I believe brakelite was speaking off the cuff and just didn't remember the details of Peter jumping in the water....that's fine...no big deal. It was just the combination of sooooo many different flippant comments like that in one posting that is problematic in my opinion. If a person in ONE POST can't get SEVERAL little simple facts right.....how can we trust them in the big things?

I agree with you....They were required to write what the Holy Spirit determined and not what they fancied.

God bless...Mary

 

[Heart2Soul]

Thank you for the clarification. :)

In your response to me you said "Peter dived into the sea naked to swim ashore to Jesus" WHICH IS a FALSE STATMENT.

You also said "The writers of scripture were a tax collector.....That takes care of the unemployed...". If he is a tax collector then he is employed soooo that statement is CONTRADICTING.

You then equated murderers and an adulterers to "dope smoking bums". That statement is LOGICALLY not true.

Sooooo just to be VERY clear.....I am NOT hung up over the use of the term hippies when describing the authors of Scripture. YOU ASKED (does that offend you?) sooooo I responded (Post #4).

What I am "hung up over" is your false statement, contradicting statement and the statement that lacked logic.

Mary

Greetings Marymog and everyone...I opened this thread and this was 1st page I saw....and I was taken aback by all the yelling! In text and online communication to specialize certain words or phrases with caps, bold ink, italics and colors can represent a heightened emotion such as anger or frustration, or even great ecstatic joy.....but mostly it draws the readers attention that this the point you are emphasizing...many misunderstandings are created through this mode of communication....including myself. IMHO....may I suggest a softer tone?
Proverbs 15 King James Version (KJV)
15 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

These are really good Words to apply in our life when we speak....and lets not forget what the fruits if the Holy Spirit are....:)

I am just speaking in love hoping to bring peace to this topic because it is about the precious Holy Living Word of Addonai and is sacred.

 

[Marymog]

Greetings Marymog and everyone...I opened this thread and this was 1st page I saw....and I was taken aback by all the yelling! In text and online communication to specialize certain words or phrases with caps, bold ink, italics and colors can represent a heightened emotion such as anger or frustration, or even great ecstatic joy.....but mostly it draws the readers attention that this the point you are emphasizing...many misunderstandings are created through this mode of communication....including myself. IMHO....may I suggest a softer tone?
Proverbs 15 King James Version (KJV)
15 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
13 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
23 A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!

These are really good Words to apply in our life when we speak....and lets not forget what the fruits if the Holy Spirit are....:)

I am just speaking in love hoping to bring peace to this topic because it is about the precious Holy Living Word of Addonai and is sacred.

Thank you.

I probably us more caps, bold ink, italics and colors then anyone else on this forum to get my point across. But that is my goal....to get my point across.

I don't mean to be yelling but I understand it can be taken that way. Those of you who believe I was yelling at you I assure you I wasn't.

Mary

 

[Heart2Soul]

Thank you.

I probably us more caps, bold ink, italics and colors then anyone else on this forum to get my point across. But that is my goal....to get my point across.

I don't mean to be yelling but I understand it can be taken that way. Those of you who believe I was yelling at you I assure you I wasn't.

Mary

Bless you Mary...I apologize for attaching that post to yours.....it seemed to appear I was singling you out....wasn't my intention and it was lack of wisdom on my part.

 

[Brakelite]

How do you equate murder and adulatory to dope smoking?

Curious Mary

I wasn't. But you were denigrating hippies for their dope smoking, saying that was an insult to the writers of scripture. Yet some of them were murderers... David and Moses.eg.

 

[Brakelite]

In your response to me you said "Peter dived into the sea naked to swim ashore to Jesus" WHICH IS a FALSE STATMENT

and yes, I got that wrong. But again, you denigrate hippies because in your opinion they were generally regarded as shabbily dressed which you considered an insult to a fisherman who worked naked.

You also said "The writers of scripture were a tax collector.....That takes care of the unemployed...". If he is a tax collector then he is employed soooo that statement is CONTRADICTING.

You done of being unemployed in a derogatory fashion as if it was somehow connected to character. Again, you think it offensive that Matthew would be considered of lesser character than an unemployed person. U need to investigate what it was for a Jew to be a tax collector for the Romans and take note of their reputation. Remember, Matthew promised in his confession to Jesus that he would restore justice to all those he defrauded. I personally have never been defrauded by an unemployed person... All the fraudsters I've read about and known were business men, some owning their own companies. I think Matthew would have been flattered by the comparison to a musician and a poet preaching love and peace.

Yes, a band of hippies may be a little fanciful, and a use of imagination... Hyperbole if you will... And clearly you are offended.

 

[Brakelite]

it doesn't matter what it is to you or me

its called a testament for a reason, because that's what it is, a testimony, a witness, of a relationship between a people and their God, no matter what you want to think it is.

those are the facts, not opinions.

If it doesn't matter what you think the Bible is, then what are you doing with it? Yes, it is about relationship. A relationship which at times took turns for the worse. A relationship shaped by and large through a deficient understanding on one side as to who the other side is, and what He was doing. The Bible has been given to us to clear up those misunderstandings. Your conception as to who God is shapes your whole life. You came in to this conversation with a mind that reflects conflict and antagonism. It is possible your misconception of God...a deterministic conception... Has shaped your own life attitude and your posts here reflect that. Is that who God is? One of conflict and antagonism?

 

[quietthinker]

Not true. Peter put on some clothes to swim out to Jesus and NOTHING in scripture suggests he had shabby clothes. He was an employed fisherman and did NOT write any of the letters in the NT.

Matthew had the job of being a tax collector soooo he was NOT unemployed.

Luke was a physician.

In the preface to his gospel in manuscripts of the Vulgate, Mark is represented as having been a Jewish priest.

Murderer and adultry does not equate to dope smoking bum.

Soooo your analogy is completely wrong

Look, for what it's worth, I'm not a fisherman as such but I do go out on the water and catch fish; sometimes in the water with a spear gun sometimes out of it with a line. I also live in the jungle (literally) and if any of you folks ever visit without letting me know there's a high chance of finding me in my birthday suit or in shorts either worn out or torn in the tail.

Now that might be shocking to city folk but its all in a days activity in this neck of the woods for this brown duck as I imagine it would have been for those mates of Jesus out on their boats for the simple reason that it's quicker and easier to wash your body than it is your clothes considering washing machines weren't in vogue those days.

......and by the way I do have stories of unexpected visitors like JW's rocking up while digging trenches wearing my special suit on a humid day with sweat and dirt mingled.

I guess Peter on his outing wasn't expecting sight seers and just doing what was comfortable in the circumstances. Anyway, no need to get outta joint because these trivialities weren't repeated exactly as it was. What is important is that the ordinariness as well as the extra ordinariness of the scene is absorbed and understood.

 

[Heart2Soul]

If it doesn't matter what you think the Bible is, then what are you doing with it? Yes, it is about relationship. A relationship which at times took turns for the worse. A relationship shaped by and large through a deficient understanding on one side as to who the other side is, and what He was doing. The Bible has been given to us to clear up those misunderstandings. Your conception as to who God is shapes your whole life. You came in to this conversation with a mind that reflects conflict and antagonism. It is possible your misconception of God...a deterministic conception... Has shaped your own life attitude and your posts here reflect that. Is that who God is? One of conflict and antagonism?

Agreed @Brakelite2 ....if it wasn't for the Bible we wouldn't understand what a relationship with Him should be......in my own understanding it is a love story of a Father and His child describing the ups and downs of parenthood and child development...spiritually.

 

[Joseph77]

HI Joseph,

When you say “mary” you probably mean ME!!! What have I done to you that has made your heart hard towards me? Is this by your own doing or has Satan whispered in your ear?

Curious Mary

curious post, are you trying to whisper !? It seems you share the sin of rome quite openly instead....
you go along with catholicism, right?

 

[Joseph77]

Hey Joseph...I’m curious.....WHY did you write maryxxx and not Maryooo? You completely wrote out Brakelite2 but not marymog. What is your bias?

Curious Mary

Idolatry, even subtle idolatry, is to be avoided, isn't it, by God's Own Instructions!

Thus my bias, is to obey God, and not go along with any idolatry, nor approve of it, ever, willingly or wittingly.

 

[Pearl]

By and large the bible wasn't written by scholars. It was written by people like Moses a prince by adoption and an outlaw who tended flocks. David who was a shepherd tending flocks who became a king. Nehemiah was a slave who was cup bearer to a king. Peter was a fisherman, Paul made tents. What the writers had in common was love and respect for God. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write their testimonies, their history, their prophecies and poems in the language of their time. It was written by ordinary people who God called to extraordinary service. I suppose they were something like 'hippies', not part of middle of the road society. Today it mainly speaks to ordinary people like me. And as well as those true Christian scholars who genuinely study it to discover Godly truth there are others who study it in order to cause friction and controversy.

 

[Joseph77]

PHILLIPS
But you must understand this at the outset, that no prophecy of scripture arose from an individual’s interpretation of the truth.
No prophecy came because a man wanted it to: men of God spoke because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

MSG
We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. ........

no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart.

Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.

NMB
For the scripture never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

CJB
for never has a prophecy come as a result of human willing — on the contrary, people moved by the Ruach HaKodesh spoke a message from God.

CEV
The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.

By and large the bible wasn't written by scholars. It was written by people like Moses a prince by adoption and an outlaw who tended flocks. David who was a shepherd tending flocks who became a king. Nehemiah was a slave who was cup bearer to a king. Peter was a fisherman, Paul made tents. What the writers had in common was love and respect for God. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write their testimonies, their history, their prophecies and poems in the language of their time. It was written by ordinary people who God called to extraordinary service. I suppose they were something like 'hippies', not part of middle of the road society. Today it mainly speaks to ordinary people like me. And as well as those true Christian scholars who genuinely study it to discover Godly truth there are others who study it in order to cause friction and controversy.

 

[Marymog]

I wasn't. But you were denigrating hippies for their dope smoking, saying that was an insult to the writers of scripture. Yet some of them were murderers... David and Moses.eg.

Dear sir,

I did not denigrate hippies for their dope smoking. I simply gave my opinion which is backed up by the dictionary definition and societies opinion of hippies: they are drug users. Even the two singers you mentioned in a previous post were self admitted drug using hippies.

To equate a drug using sub-culture (hippies) to the writers of Scripture is an insult to the men of Scripture. Nothing in Scripture suggest they were drug users so why add to scripture.

Furthermore it appears you did equate the two when you wrote.....and I quote...”Others were a murderer and an adulterer...That takes care of the dope smoking bums...”.

Keeping it real.....Mary